In the final rounds of qualifying at Route 66 Raceway and this
weekend’s NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series it was Bill Reichert and
Mick Snyder leading the way. 

Defending Lucas Oil National Champion Reichert covered the quarter mile
strip in 5.282 seconds at 269.89 mph for the No. 1 spot in Top Alcohol
Dragster.  Ken Perry fell just shy of the top spot with a run of 5.292
seconds, 264.70 mph.

Ray Drew, Hales Corner, Wis., made a great pass midway through the
final Top Alcohol Funny Car qualifying session to jump to the No. 1
spot at 5.598 seconds, 258.62 mph only to have Demotte, Ind., racer
Mick Snyder run an even better pass at 5.558 seconds, 257.97 mph
dropping Drew to No. 2.  Drew will face off against John Bojec in round
one of Sunday’s eliminations while Snyder will run No. 8 qualifier
Bobby Martin.

Pairings are set for Sunday’s eliminations at Spokane County Raceway. 
With qualifying complete, Top Alcohol Dragster pilot Shawn Cowie of
Delta, B.C., and Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Ken Webster from Red
Deer, Alb., grabbed the No.1 spots at the inaugural Lucas Oil Drag
Racing Series event. Over 3,000 eager drag racing fanatics made their
way to the renovated track to enjoy side by side racing at over 265 mph.

Cowie posted a 5.465-second, 265.22 mph pass in qualifying to place him
just ahead of Joey Severance from Spanaway, Wash. Cowie is piecing
together a dominating year by winning out-of-division races in Phoenix
and Las Vegas to go along with his victory at Mission Raceway Park last
month. Because of the odd number of cars in competition, he will have a
bye run in the first round of eliminations Sunday.

Webster will be looking for his first win of the season going into
Sunday, qualified at the top spot.  His run of 5.741 seconds at 252.05
mph catapulted him to the top of the field and in front of current
divisional points leader Brian Hough of Junction City, Ore.

First-round pairings for professional eliminations Sunday for the
IHRA Sooner Nationals at Tulsa Raceway Park, the fourth of 10 events in
the 2009 Nitro Jam Drag Racing Series.  Pairings based on results in
qualifying, which ended Saturday.

Saturday’s
pristine evening conditions set up some solid laps and a few records as
Bruce Litton (Top Fuel), Taylor Lastor (Pro Modified) and John
Montecalvo (Pro Stock) topped qualifying at the IHRA Sooner Nationals
Saturday at Tulsa Raceway Park.

And what it was for Top Fuel ace Bruce Litton.

With many of the drivers struggling to find grip under the hot
afternoon sun, Litton (Indianapolis, Ind.) finally had a breakthrough
under the cool evening conditions with a 4.737 second pass at 310.13
miles per hour to top Top Fuel qualifying and take home the Last Man
Standing award Saturday night at the Sooner Nationals.

It is safe to say that the last two races have not been what Elite Motorsports Pro Stock driver John Montecalvo had hoped for.

After making the finals at the season opening Mardi Gras Nationals,
Montecalvo has since lost in the first round at two straight IHRA
events including a disheartening first round loss as the No. 1
qualifier six weeks ago in Rockingham. He also lost in the first round
two weeks ago at Dallas.

“Both losses were very unfortunate. One was mechanical problems, the
other was driver problems. We really need to have a breakout race this
weekend to get back on track” Montecalvo said. “We need to make our
move now. We are going to have to get rid of some of these mechanical
gremlins, but the team is doing a good job and I am confident we can
get this turned around.”

After winning his first race as the driver of "Nitro" Nick Boninfante's
"U.S. Male" nitro nostalgia Funny Car last month at Englishtown, N.J.,
driver Phil Burkart won again Saturday night at New England Dragway's
"Funny Cars Under The Stars" setting both ends of the nostalgia Funny
Car track record in the process.

In the world of professional drag racing, three day marathons are considered the norm.

But this weekend, the IHRA is taking a bit of a different approach.

This weekend’s Sooner Nationals will feature a rare two-day show with
three professional qualifying rounds packed into Saturday’s action
before eliminations begin on Sunday.

While the two-day format gives drivers a chance to make a few more runs
during the heat of the afternoon, simulating Sunday’s final rounds, it
also gives crews a little less turnaround between appearances.

Ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange and driving a Top Fuel

dragster can both bring a rush.  Morgan Lucas, one of seven racers who
participated in the prestigious opportunity on Wednesday afternoon, 
was an eye-opener for Lucas.

“It’s definitely not like watching [the movie] Trading Places and
seeing how people work,” Lucas explained. “It was an incredible
opportunity to witness that and to know that 40-percent of America’s
wealth goes through that building.”

Terry Haddock told CompetitionPlus.com at the beginning of the season that he planned to run two nitro cars
in 2009, focusing on each event to determine which provided his team
the best opportunity to qualifying and win. The defending IHRA World
Champion who has become an NHRA regular opted to run both cars, one
dragster and one Funny Car, in Englishtown because the events   provide
an excellent opportunity to win.

The wins Haddock have in mind have little or any impact on whether he
lights up the scoreboards. The real victory he seeks is in awareness.

The Top Fuel dragster he drives this weekend carries the logo of the
Dream House for Medically Fragile Children while his Funny Car, driven
this weekend by Cory Lee, spread the message of the veteran’s group
Fueled by the Fallen.

Ashley
Force Hood held on to the No. 1 qualifier in Funny Car as rain ended
qualifying early at the 40th annual United Association NHRA
SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J.

Tony Schumacher also kept the top position in Top Fuel while Ron
Krisher and Hector Arana were able to move in to the top spots in their
respective categories before rain showers hit at the 11th of 24 events
on the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.

Force Hood continued her No. 1 qualifier success, as her Friday pass of
4.071-seconds at 303.37 mph in her Castrol GTX Ford Mustang stay strong
to give Force Hood her fourth No. 1 qualifier in the past six races.